It's All in the Cards
by A Faggot
Summary: Lady Luck is smiling.
1. It's All in the Cards

**Daisuke Ishiwatari - Original Bet**

* * *

Nozomi considers herself to be pretty good at poker. She may not be the most technical player (counting cards is cheating) or know all the rules (is it an ace high straight or five high?), but she still thinks she's pretty good. After all, the key to card games is getting inside your opponents' head and figuring them out. In that aspect, Nozomi is rather proficient. On top of that, her perpetual smile makes for an excellent poker face that intimidates lesser players into submission.

But the real reason the purple haired woman wins a lot is because of her luck. She only plays seriously on days when her tarot cards predict good fortune.

It is on such a day that Nozomi finds herself in the casino, losing the last of her money to blinds. A string of bad hands and "four-card combos" has left her destitute, but not broke. Now, the final player at the table (an unsavory man in a white suited, decked in gold chains) pushes forth a stack of chips, forcing her to go all in. With a hand of unsuited ace-2, Nozomi calls; she will be forced to go all in from the blinds next round if she folds. Unfortunately, her opponent has pocket kings, putting her at an early disadvantage.

 _Well, it's all up to the cards now,_ thinks Nozomi. _I can only trust in the luck that my cards predicted._

A flop of King of Clubs, 8 of Clubs and 8 of Hearts crushes her hope. The man chuckles and reaches for the pot already. A pre-emptive move, to be sure, but not unjustified. Nozomi has been pretty much flopped dead.

The spiritualist can feel her mouth go dry. Had she read the tarots wrong? She's had bad luck all day and now she's about to be soundly defeated. Or could it be that her tarot cards were wrong?

No. It's still too early to think those kinds of thoughts. The odds are slim, but Nozomi can still win. All she needs is…

 **…** **An 8 of Spades on the turn.**

Green eyes light up as Nozomi's brain begins to turn. She can win this yet if she gets another eight. The chances are low but this is where the luck her cards predicted comes in.

Time seems to slow down as the dealer takes the card at the top of the deck…

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…and places it on the burnout pile. Temporal progress retards even more as the dealer pulls the next card out and brings it down to the table. He flips it over, revealing…

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… **The 8 of Diamonds.**

Nozomi allows just a little bit of authenticity to leak into her smile as she rakes in her chips. The man opposite to her swears and slams his meaty hands on the table.

Nozomi's luck is looking up.

* * *

 **Loosely based on Busquet vs Reichardt at EPT 11.**

 **Also, shoutouts to cerealkiller49 for sharing the cover picture.**


	2. Heart of the Cards

**Heart of the Cards**

It's a slow day in the Idol Research club, but luckily Maki has taken it upon herself to show everyone a new fad that's taken the nation by storm. The game, Duel Monsters, is a simple children's card game, but its hidden intricacies and complex strategy is instantly appealing, and the heir of Nishikino was kind enough to bring several decks for Muse to play.

However, Maki's ulterior motives are soon revealed as her superior game knowledge and custom-built deck defeated the other idols one after the other. Each victory only serves to fan the red head's ego, and she now sits comfortably in the winner's seat with a cocky grin and mad trash spouting out of her mouth. Only Nozomi has yet to play. She had drawn cards indicating good luck this morning, and, out of consideration for Maki and the rest of Muse, had decided not to play. However, with the desperate hopes and pleas of everyone else now resting upon her shoulders, Nozomi has no choice but to defeat the composer's tyrannical reign once and for all.

Eli slumps back in her seat as Maki's Little D attacks her directly, wiping out the last of her life points. Even though she's played the game with Arisa before, her expertise is no match against the wealth of knowledge Maki possesses.

"Hahahaha! Weak! Is this all the challenge you can offer?" scoffs Maki.

Eli grits her teeth and turns to Nozomi, who was watching from behind the blonde's shoulder. "Nozomi, I've failed. I wanted to teach that girl, Maki, a lesson about the heart of the cards, but I lost." The quarter-Russian collects her cards and offers them to the shrine maiden. "Nozomi, here: take this. These are the cards that all seven of us have picked based on our experience. Take them, and teach her respect. Teach Maki respect for the heart of the cards, Nozomi."

Nozomi nods once grimly, and accepts the deck. "Ok Eli, I'll do it."

"Take her, Nozomi!" growls Nico in the background.

"Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about nya!"

"Kick Maki's butt!"

Nozomi nods, pumped up by the encouragement from her friends. She shuffles the deck and looks Maki squarely in the eyes. Said red head smirks and replies:

"Are you ready to play?"

"Playtime is over, Maki." Autismo-Vision® engages, and golden light pours out from a rectangular pyramid pendant wrapped around Nozomi's neck. The current champion is forced to avert her eyes as the light becomes blinding. Once the light dies down, several levels of spinning summoning circles engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphics converge on Nozomi's location, which is now obscured by a powerful blue beam of light. Slowly, the cobalt ray of photons fade away, revealing the spiritual girl standing in a spotlight, the shadows cast by the natural contours of her body raising her coolness levels by 300%.

Nozomi's eyes snap open, and Maki backs off slightly due to the intimidating aura surrounding her opponent.

"Now, Maki, prepare yourself, because it's time to duel!"

"Hmph, no matter. As the reigning victor, I'll go first." The pianist draws a card from the top of her deck, and places it on the table before them. "I summon the mighty Hitotsu-me Giant!"

Autismo-Vision® engages, and a massive aquamarine Cyclops materializes over the card.

"My turn," announces Nozomi as she draws a card. "You fight for power alone, but it cannot beat my faith in these cards! Now, I call up on the winged dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" In the world of Autismo-Vision®, a diminutive blue dragon appears.

"Aren't these two taking their roleplaying a bit too far?" Asks Nico as everyone else watches the duel intently.

"Fireball attack!" commands the purplenette. Maki's Giant is destroyed in a conflagration of orange flame, to the cheers of Muse.

Maki flinches as though struck, but is quick to recover. She draws another card and regains her smug countenance once more. "Heh, well played Nozomi, for a beginner. But how will you deal with this?" The red haired musician places a monster card on the field.

"Lord of D? But it only has 1200 attack points!"

"True, your winged dragon's attack is higher, but if I combine my Lord of D with this card…." Maki's voice trails off as she slaps a magic card onto her monster.

"Ah! A magic card!"

"Yes, my Flute of Summoning Dragon allows me to summon two extra monsters, provided they are Dragon types. And—you guessed it—I'm going to summon my unstoppable BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGONS!"

Viridescent light envelopes Autismo-Vision® as two blue-scaled dragons rise onto the field.

"Now, my Blue Eyes, destroy her Guardian with White Lightning Attack!"

Sparkling electricity vaporizes Nozomi's dragon, and inflicts TONS OF DAMAGE on her lifepoints, bringing her from full to nearly dead.

"Ha! Your Guardian is destroyed!" Crows Maki. "Faith of no faith, you _will_ fall before my superior monsters. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to my Blue Eyes White Dragons."

 _She's right_. Thinks Nozomi as she desperately reviews the cards in her hands. Three of them are weak looking arms and legs, with fewer than 700 attack points between them, and the rest are barely any stronger. _What do I do? I can't figure out what to do with these cards! They're just pieces! How can I use them to defeat an expert like Maki?_

 ** _For someone who claims to have faith you're giving up too easily, Nozomi._** The disembodied voice of Eli floats through her mind, and the purple haired idol turns around, coming face to face with an Autismo-Vision® version of Eli in cold, blue colors. **_Listen. Sometimes, the cards are like a puzzle. You have to place the different pieces in their proper place. Each piece helps build a greater entity._** Autismo-Eli begins to fade, and Nozomi reaches out to grab the illusion, since she has not yet grasped the meaning of the cryptic message.

 _"_ _Eli!"_

 ** _Like the pieces of a puzzle, Nozomi! Remember!_**

"Hey! No back-seat dueling allowed!" yells Maki crossly as she points accusingly at the now-whistling Student Council president. So apparently that inner dialogue wasn't an Autismo-Vision® only deal.

"Now quit stalling, Nozomi, or you will forfeit the match!"

"I never give up, Maki!" counters the busty female. Her next card is a magic card, which she promptly activates. "My Swords of Revealing Light traps your monsters for three turns, rendering them unable to attack!" Glowing crosses of sickly green light fall from the heavens and ensnare the dragons, keeping them in place.

"How desperate," sneers Maki. "What good will a three turn delay do you?"

"Just you wait, Maki!" Despite her brave words, Nozomi is out of ideas. Her next draw does not help, as it's only another leg. Wait…what did Eli say about pieces?

 ** _Like the pieces of a puzzle!_**

Autismo-Vision® surges as Nozomi is hit with a flashback.

 _She's in the classroom. Eli is telling her about this new fad of Duel Monsters._

 ** _In all of duel monsters, there is only one unstoppable monster: Exodia. But he can only be summoned by drawing five special cards. A feat that, to this day, no one has ever accomplished._**

 _That's it!_

"Hey! What did I say about back-seat dueling! One more time and Nozomi will lose this duel!"

"Your only concern here is me, Maki! I set this monster in a defense mode and end my turn!"

 _These monsters in defense mode won't help me defeat the Blues Eyes's, but they will help defend me until I can draw the last piece of Exodia! Heart of the cards, please be with me!_

The next two turns pass in much the same way: Maki being unable to act and Nozomi summoning monsters in defense mode without drawing the final piece of Exodia.

Finally, with the Swords of Revealing Light's out of the way, Maki makes a move.

"You talk a lot about faith, but where are the results? Why don't you put some weight behind your words, like me? Now, I sacrifice my Lord of D to summon my _third_ Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Hey, that's a level 8 monster! You can't just summon it off of one sacrifice; that's against the rules!"

"SCREW THE RULES! I HAVE MONEY!" Autismo-Vision® flares up as Maki slams her final Blue Eyes onto the table, summoning a third dragon to the field. "Wipe out her monsters with White Lightning Attack!"

Nozomi grunts and shields her face as the Blue Eyes's send her defensive monsters to the graveyard.

"So tell me, Nozomi, how's your faith now? On my next turn, all three Blue Eyes White Dragons will attack you directly! This duel's over no matter what card you draw. You can't possibly stand against my three Blue Eyes White Dragons! It's over, Nozomi! You were never a match against me!"

 _This is bad! My only chance now is to assemble all the pieces of Exodia! The odds are against me! I don't think I can do this!_

In the view of Autismo-Vision®, the cards begin to recede into the distance, away from Nozomi's outstretched hand. _The deck! It senses my doubt!_

The shrine maiden's already unstable mental condition finally separate into split personalities. One of them embodies her more mature, confident side. The other represents her childish, insecure one.

 _"_ _Don't lose focus, Nozomi; don't lose faith!" admonishes the more masculine side. "Concentrate!"_

The world of Autismo® intensifies as the other 8 members of Muses (interestingly, Maki included) appear around the deck of cards and place their hands over the pile.

"Nozomi, we're right here with you!" says Honoka with conviction.

"Nozomi, you've got to believe in yourself!" cheers Kotori.

"You can do it. Just kick Maki's butt!" grits out Nico.

The group's words of encouragement instantly boost the purple haired girl's spirit.

"They're right. I've got to believe in the cards the way my friends believe in me!"

Taking a deep breath, Nozomi picks up the card at the top of the deck.

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Nozomi!"

"My friends' deck _has_ no pathetic cards, Kaiba! But if does contain—" Nozomi raises the top card and flips it towards Maki without even looking at which card it is. "—the unstoppable Exodia!"

Maki falls out of her chair in shock. "Ahh! Impossible!"

"I've assembled all five special cards, all five pieces of the puzzle!"

A spectral green pentagram appears out of the air in Autismo-Vision®. The sigil opens a portal, from which dual chained arms thrust out. They grip the edges of the portal and yank out the monster to which they belong to: an ochre juggernaut crafted of sun-baked clay. Its gargantuan frame towers over even the mighty Blue Eyes's.

"Exodia! It's not possible!" Maki's eyes are practically bulging out of their sockets with how hard she's staring at the Forbidden One. "No one's ever been able to call him!"

"Exodia! Obliterate!" The commanded monster forms a sphere of golden energy in its hands. After a short delay, it launches the ball at the opposing dragons. The ball expands into a massive beam, rushing over the dragons and shattering them to pieces. But it doesn't stop there. The beam continues past the field, washing over Maki and drawing out a pained moan from the musician. The red head thrusts out one hand as if trying to protect herself while the other arm attempts to cover her eyes, but her efforts are futile as her lifepoints are completely obliterated.

"You did it!" cheers Hanayo. "Nozomi, you won!"

"You play only for power, Maki," rebukes the victorious girl. "That is why you lost. But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do."

Her words fall on deaf ears, however. Maki grips the table hard enough to turn her knuckles white, and pupils are dilated with vehemence. "But how? How could I have lost to _her?_ "

"Maki! If you truly wish to know, open your mind!" Nozomi thrusts out her palm, and Autismo-Vision® reaches levels that shouldn't even be possible. All colors turn negative, and the still frame of Maki's mouth hanging open in shock shatters into pieces. In the real world, Maki sinks to her knees in defeat.

"There, Maki. Maybe now you will begin to see."

The remaining Muses doggypile the new champion in celebration.

* * *

"Ms. Kira, ma'am. Nishikino Maki, our uncontested champion, he's been defeated in a duel, ma'am, by someone named…Nozomi."

"Hmm…."


	3. The Card Master

**Daisuke Ishiwatari - Liquor Bar & Drunkard**

 **A continuation of sorts of chapter 1.**

* * *

 **The Card Master**

 _Datte kanousei kanjitanda..._

The noise of the casino drowns out the sound of her humming, but this merry jingle rings in Nozomi's head unaffected as she cashes in her chips.

After snatching victory from the jaws of a 99% chance of defeat, Nozomi went on to get one miraculous hand after the other, and she ended up cleaning her opponent out. The man in the white suit hadn't taken his loss so well. He left the table in disgust with a dirty look aimed at the purplenette and curses under his breath.

If the burly thugs standing by every exit are any indication, the man wants his money back. Nozomi sighs. Why are so many rich people poor sports? She collects her money ( _a hundred thousand in one night...not bad_ ) and a pack of playing cards. Luckily for the spiritual girl, she's quite experienced in these situations.

Nozomi meanders about the room, making sure to pass through as many crowds as she can to shake off anyone who might be tailing her. After that, she surreptitiously glances around to confirm that no one is watching or following her. Then she slips through a door for 'Employees Only - No Unauthorized Personnel'.

The door leads to a dimly lit hallway connected to many secondary rooms and facilities. A couple of busboys are taking a smoke break, but they don't spare her a second glance. Nozomi struts down the corridor, her heels clicking against the concrete floor. Surely there must be an exit here somewhere.

And sure enough, there is. The twin-tailed woman pushes against the set of double doors and finds herself in a back alley. It's fairly late right now, but this casino is in a busy part of town, so she'll have no problem finding a taxi and getting home.

Before she can move, however, a voice stops Nozomi in her tracks.

"Going somewhere,miss?" It's the man in the white suit. His voice is just as oily as his slicked back hair. A couple of thugs are by his side. The white clad man struggles to slip on a brass knuckles through his chubby fingers as they close in on Nozomi. She turns towards the exit of the alley, but that has been blocked off by more thugs now as well.

The tarot reader is not scared in the least. She reaches into her purse and pulls out the new deck of cards and starts picking away at its packaging.

"I'm gonna want my money back, miss," growls the man. "Give it back nicely and no one gets hurt."

"Oh my, how rude," replies Nozomi evenly with a hint of amusement in her voice. "You lost fair and square and now you want your money back? What a sore loser."

The man's face flushes red with rage, and he pulls out a handkerchief to wipe some sweat off his face. "Oh I can handle a fair loss all right. But you cheated! No one gets hands like that, no one!"

Nozomi finally gets the deck open and starts picking a card out. New cards are always so hard to take out. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb!" roars the man in the white suit. A vein pops out from his forehead. "A four-of-a-kind, a straight, a full house, a straight flush, and then a royal flush? It's impossible to be _that_ lucky. Now stop delaying, or I'm gonna have my boys knock out a tooth or two from your pretty little face!"

Nozomi frees a card from the rest of the deck. She puts the pack back in her purse and starts weaving the card between the fingers of her right hand, making sure to hide her hand from sight. The card starts to shine with crystal blue light, but the spiritualist needs more time. "What if I told you it really was luck?"

"Then you're going to lose that teeth for nothing," sneers the fat man ruthlessly. "Whether I was cheated by you or Lady Lucky, I don't care. Either way, I'm getting my money back. Boys, seize her; I'm gonna do the hittin' myself."

The hired muscle move in grab Nozomi by the arms and legs, but it's too late. She's ready.

"Well that's good, because the reason I won is not luck..." Before the ruffians can lay their hands on her, Nozomi throws her card up. It flares with a brilliant fluorescent-blue light, blinding all the men in the alley. "...it's Destiny." Once the light subsides, there is only a lone playing card fluttering to the ground where Nozomi was.

It's the 8 of spades.

"GODDAMNIT!" screams the man in white. "Find her! She couldn't have gone far! When I get my hands on the wench, I'm gonna tear the hair out of her scalp one strand at a time!"

The rumbling of the hoodlums' footsteps shake the ground as they move out. All is quiet in the small alley for the next few minutes.

Then, the silence is interrupted as a cardboard box is flipped over. Nozomi lets out a sigh of relief as she lets herself out of her hiding spot. By now the thugs should be far enough away that she can get a taxi and go home without being spotted.

She's going to have to thank Nico again for teaching her that trick. Treating her to dinner is always an option, but they've been out for dinner so many times. Maybe a gift? But what can properly express her gratitude? Or maybe something else...?

Nozomi ponders these things as she goes to find a ride home.

* * *

Grime crunches under heavy boots. Short blonde locks sway in the night breeze as cold sky blue eyes track the purple-haired figure exiting the alley below.

"So, you're still up to your old tricks." There's a hint of a chuckle coloring her voice, but there's no mistaking the barely suppressed rage that comprises most of her tone. "Well you can run and disappear all you want..." She pauses to take a drag from her cigar before dropping it and crushing the smoldering butt with her toe. "...but you can't hide, **_partner_**."

Hefting her oversized shotgun, the blonde tosses her red poncho behind her before disappearing into the night.

* * *

 ***super cool one-liner***


	4. The Outlaw

**Daisuke Ishiwatari - Pride and Glory**

* * *

 **The Outlaw**

 _This is the moment of truth._

 _All nine members of Muse are gathered in a (rather cramped) booth to face their biggest challenge yet:_

 _Eating parfaits._

 _"It's just that I want to add to our legacy," explained Eli when she first brought up the idea to the group. "Sure, we saved the school and won Love Live and even got to perform in America, but I want us to reach new heights together as a group. Nothing we've done hasn't been done before. However..."_

 _"...we can set the world record for 'the most amount of parfaits eaten by a group of people numbering less than ten,'" finishes Nozomi._

 _"Nozomi and I have been training for this every day since we became friends, so we can do most of the heavy lifting. We can definitely breach the record of 200 if each of you just eats 15 parfaits."_

 _No one wanted to deny Eli's request since the third years' graduation is coming up soon. So, on this chilly spring afternoon, the nine girls walked on over to the local parfait store and placed an order for 200 parfaits._

 _"...And remember, stay safe!" cautions the blonde as the girls wait for their frozen dessert to arrive. "Pace yourselves, and watch out for brainfreeze. Especially you two-" Eli casts a pointed stare at Honoka and Rin, whose stomachs have been growling the entire journey to the store. "-I know you're hungry, but we all skipped lunch to make more space for parfaits. Don't eat too fast, and the cold will go straight to your head and take you out early."_

 _"Elichi and I can pick up the slack if we go all out, so don't push yourselves," Nozomi advises with a smile._

 _Finally, the parfaits arrive and, after a quick countdown, the Muses begin eating in earnest. Group spirit warms their bellies despite the cold treats they're stuffing into them._

 _One cup._

 _Two cups._

 _Three cups._

 _Four-_

 _"Maki, slow down!" instructs Nozomi. "I saw that wince, let yourself warm up a bit before continuing."_

 _"Why are we eating frozen dessert on such a cold day?" grumbles the irate redhead as she rubs her temples._

 _"Can't be helped," intones a bored Nico. "We already agreed on this date two weeks ago. It's the only time all nine of us are free after school."_

 _"Well it's still a stupid idea."_

 _"Enough, you two!" Eli barks. "If you can flap your lips, you can eat."_

 _Silence once again. Seven cups._

 _Eight cups._

 _Nin-_

 _"NYAAA!"_

 _"Rin!"_

 _The cat-like first year collapses, clutching her head. Umi quickly checks the girl's vitals, but shakes her head._

 _Rin has been iced._

 _"All of you, slow down. Don't be like Rin-"_

 _"No, be like Rin," interrupts Eli. The former student council president points towards the empty cups lying around Rin's comatose body. "Look, she ate twenty parfaits. Five more than she had to. This heroic sacrifice, going above and beyond the call of duty, is a true act of valor that will be sung about for years to come! Let Rin's courage inspire you!"_

 _The other Muses meekly and submissively resume eating._

 _Ten cups._

 _Eleven cups._

 _Twelve cups._

 _Thirteen cups._

 _Fourteen cups._

 _"Augh!" The second years all kick the can together, falling onto each other._

 _"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," peeps Hanayo._

 _"Nonsense," the quarter Russian responds brusquely. "Umi and Kotori may have fallen short of their target, but it's nothing Nozomi and I can't handle."_

 _"I'm...near my limit."_

 _"Me too," Maki adds._

 _"Me three," agrees Nico._

 _Incompetent fools! Well, that's fine. As long as Nozomi is by her side, it doesn't matter. The two of them have cleaned out one ice cream store after the other. If her trusty partner is with her, then there's nothing they can't do._

 _"Elichi." The purple haired spiritualist puts a hand on her shoulder. "We can't continue like this. We've already lost too many people. Besides, even if we push ourselves to the limit, we will be lucky to break 180."_ Even Nozomi? _Verdant orbs search Eli's crystal blue ones. They plead with her to reconsider. For a second, she does. What if Nozomi is right?_

 _But what about Rin's sacrifice? And see, Hanayo is eating away at her twenty-third parfait!_

 _"No," declares Eli. The pain in Nozomi's green eyes hurts, but that will not dissuade her now. "We've come too far to back down now. We're already past the 100 mark now. One final effort is all we need! Please, I'll be in your debt!"_

 _Twenty six cups._

 _Twenty seven cups. God, it's so cold. Someone's talking. Complaining. Nico?_

 _Twenty eight cups._

 _Twenty nine cups._

 _Thirty cups. Each bite feels like she's trudging through the Arctic tundra. Gone is the warmth of group unity. Eli looks up; where is everyone?_

 _Maki is buried face-first in a parfait. Hanayo is slumped over with a half-eaten cup before her. Nico is nowhere to be seen (the sneaky little devil can always be counted on to ditch the group to save her own skin)._

 _That's alright. She doesn't need them. As long as Nozomi... Nozomi?_

 _"Nozomi!" calls out Eli. No response. No mirthful 'Elichi.' Nothing. The blonde looks around frantically. In Nozomi's spot are four playing cards._

 _Deuces._

 _Eli is stunned. Betrayed, by Nozomi? Her best and most loyal friend?_

 _Then, a burning rage fills her. It thaws away the cold. Eli lays into the ice cream without mercy. Alone she was in the beginning, and alone she will be in the end!_

 _But fury alone cannot sustain a woman. The cold is starting to set in again. The parfaits just keep coming without end. A sharp pain stabs through Eli's brain. She grasps emptily at the air around her. There's no one to lend a helping hand. Is this the end?_

* * *

Eli snaps upright in her bed. A cold sheen of sweat glazes her skin. The quarter Russian buries her face in her hands. That dream again. Or rather, that memory again.

It's been years since that incident. It's possible that Nozomi doesn't even remember it anymore. But not Eli. Not when she still dreams of that moment every night.

The blonde downs a cup of water and some sleeping pills. Perhaps it's for the best if the purplenette doesn't.

After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

* * *

 **I feel I ended the last chapter on a way too serious note, defiling an otherwise solid shitpost. I'm gonna rectify that mistake through this chapter and the next. Hopefully I can de-escalate the tension and draw things to a satisfying close.**


	5. Reunion

**Daisuke Ishiwatari - Reunion**

* * *

Sometimes, Nozomi is amazed by how smoothly everything can go when she has the luck of the cards on her side.

First, Nico calls her to tell her that there's a new restaurant she wants to check out. Then, Nozomi managed to reserve the last remaining table for the evening. The purplenette must've told Nico about today's card reading, because on their way back, the petite ravenette wondered just how far that luck can carry a person. As chance would have it, they just happened to pass by a warehouse owned by Kurosawa Seafoods, a company renowned for their security on their goods. Nico had bet that Nozomi couldn't bluff her way in and steal something. The spiritual girl had, with all the expertise of a gambler, wheedled out an appropriate reward from Nico: a day where Nozomi can do anything she wants with the red eyed girl.

From the start, the infiltration was easy. Someone had dropped their employee card on the ground. The bleary eyed, half asleep security guard at the front gate didn't even bother checking to see if the face on the card matched the one in front of him. Nozomi didn't meet a single person on her way in.

The entire warehouse seems to be just a giant cold storage facility. The purple haired gambler shivers through her thin jacket and picks up the pace. Rows of tall metal shelves containing huge boxes of fish divide the warehouse into a big grid. Nozomi hurries down corridors of shelves looking for something small enough to take out with her. Finally, she stops in front of a pile of cardboard boxes.

The green eyed spiritualist opens a box. Jars of fresh pacific oyster meat. Perfect. She reaches for it-

 _Chh-chunk._

Nozomi freezes. Someone's behind her. By the sound of it, he has a gun.

"Nozomi." She didn't think it was possible, but the card maiden's blood runs even colder at the voice that comes from behind her. "It's been a long time."

Ayase Eli.

The blonde has changed, a lot. The most notable difference is her hair. It's as if she had taken a knife to her ponytail and severed it, and then let the tattered remnants of her hair loose. She's also wearing a big red poncho and a leather belt containing many, many pouches. And in her arms is...well...

That thing was too big to be called a gun. Too big, too thick and far too rough. Indeed, it was more like a double-barreled chunk of raw iron.

And the thing is pointed right at her.

Outwardly, Nozomi is calm and smiling. Inwardly, panic rages like a freezing snowstorm. "Elichi. How long have you been standing there?"

One of the blonde's eyebrows twitch. Good, if Nozomi can distract Eli long enough, she can work her disappearing act and find a spot to hide. In a warehouse this big, there will be no shortage of hiding spots.

"Why'd you do it?" the quarter Russian asks. There's no need to be specific; they both know what she's talking about. Nozomi's not about to give her a straight answer though. She sneakily takes a card out of her pocket and starts weaving it through her fingers.

"Is the gun really necessary? I thought we were friends."

This time, a vein throbs in Eli's forehead.

"I like what you've done with your hair."

The cold eyed gunslinger looks ready to pull the trigger. Damn, it's hard to get her fingers to move properly in this cold!

"Tell me why you left me to eat those parfaits alone, or they'll be gifted with a new Nozomi ice sculpture." Eli takes a menacing step forward. Her voice is filled with a deep-seated rage.

Nozomi stands there, smiling, just trying to buy some time.

"Elichi, I'll be happy to have this conversation with you, but this really isn't a good time or place." She's almost done now. A few more seconds and—

 _BLAM!_

A jet of water shoots out of Eli's shotgun, blasting away Nozomi's card and covering her hand with water. In this ice-cold environment, liquid starts to freeze fast.

"Idiot!" Nozomi barks in a rare display of lost cool. "You just woke up the whole damned warehouse! Y'know whose place this is?"

"Kurosawa Seafoods," answers Eli. "They don't take kindly to thieves. Just the reason why I chose this place for our reunion."

The blonde readies a second shot. Nozomi flings a card at her, but the quarter Russian catches it with ease.

Nozomi looks like she has something to say, but a door gets kicked open and a dozen guards some spilling in, armed to the teeth with water pistols and water balloons.

"So, do you really want to do this?" Nozomi asks, drawing a bunch of cards from her pockets.

Eli nods, and holds her gun steady.

* * *

Things get ugly, fast.

The whole warehouse is crawling with security, but Eli couldn't care less. Nozomi is all she's interested in.

A loud _boom_ rings out, and Nozomi only narrowly dodges the shot. A box is soaked where Nozomi had been a fraction of a second earlier. Eli's gun may not be carrying gunpowder and lead, but the sub-zero environ makes the canisters of compressed gas and water she's armed with just as deadly.

"You ain't getting away, Nozomi," growls Eli as the tarot reader somersaults over a stack of tuna. All Nozomi needs is a couple of seconds, and she can work her trick. "Not this time."

Water splashes off a box of sablefish. Eli moves fast despite the heavy weapon she's lugging. The quarter Russian's always was tough. Stubborn too. That trait's still riding her hard.

Unfortunately, Eli isn't her only problem. Guards are all over them, but they're smart enough to keep some to watch the main doors.

As Nozomi rounds the corner, one of them spots her with a shout. He snatches a hose from the wall and fires a blast of water at her. The purplenette curses and dives for cover.

Luckily, the security is drawing some of Eli's attention too. The blonde is forced to unload a few rounds at them to continue her pursuit. This gives Nozomi time to run for the only quiet corner left in this madhouse.

A card is dancing in her hand as she prepares the trick, but as the light starts to intensify, Eli appears. The shotgun buckles in her grip, and a guard is encased in ice. Her crystal blue eyes spot the card in Nozomi's hand, and she swings her barrels at her. The spiritual woman is forced to move, interrupting her concentration.

"Can't run forever!" That's certainly true. Nozomi's legs are lead and her lungs feel like they'll explode any second now.

Guards from the right. The purple haired gambler runs to the left, but not before a water balloon explodes on her right shoulder. A layer of ice covers her, but she should be fine if she keeps moving and not let the ice accumulate. Right turn this time to avoid another group of guards. This is bad. Nozomi is slowly being maneuvered into a corner.

Then, she sees a way out. There's a ladder in the corner of the warehouse leading up to a series of catwalks running overhead. Nozomi reaches for the ladder, but just then, a deafening _BOOM_ rings out. The top of the ladder is blown to bits, and the entire thing crashes down to the ground. The purplenette sinks to her knees, exhausted. Behind her, Eli stalks ever closer. The stubborn quarter Russian doesn't care about the mess they're in. Nozomi is amazed, really. It's just like all those years ago. Eli's too stubborn and willing to sacrifice everyone and anyone to achieve her goal.

"No way out, sunshine," Eli grins, looking the defeated woman up and down.

"Are you ever gonna learn?" Nozomi says, rising to her feet. "Every time I try to help you, I—"

Eli fires into the ground in front of her. "If you'd just list—"

"Oh I'm all done listening," she interrupts, grinding out the words. "The biggest record of our lives, and before I knew it, you were gone."

"Before you knew it? I told you—"

Another blast, another shower of cold water. Nozomi's past caring.

"I tried to get us out. The rest of us were already too cold. But you wouldn't back down. You never do."

"I told you then, all you had to do was back me up. We could've finished it and became world record holders. But you ran," Eli spits, stepping forward. It seems her changes haven't all been physical. The Eli Nozomi used to know seems lost under years of hatred.

The spiritualist doesn't say anything else. There's no point. Over Eli's shoulder, the first of the security guards appear. Eli whirls around and squeezes the trigger, but her gun clicks empty.

Eli roars and goes at them. That's her way. She shatters one bastard's nose with the butt of her gun, before the mob beats her to the ground.

Hands grab Nozomi, pinning her arms. Eli's hauled to her feet, blood dripping from her face. Rope is brought forth and soon both of them are bound tight.

* * *

Eventually, it is settled that the two of them would be sprayed with hoses and frozen alive.

Eli glances over at Nozomi. In all her years of knowing the green eyed girl, she's always seemed to know what to do. Now, she looks defeated.

Good.

"You're getting what you deserve," Eli snarls.

"I ain't proud of how things went—"

"You left me to brainfreeze!"

"Me and the whole crew tried to get you out. And they got iced for it!" Nozomi snaps back. "Maki, Hanayo, all of them, iced, just trying to save your stubborn ass."

"You made out alright though," Eli replies. "You know why? It's because you're a coward. And nothing you'll ever say can change that."

Nozomi doesn't say anything. The last glimmer of fight in her goes, and her shoulders slump. She's done.

Eli's anger fades. She feels tired suddenly. Tired and old.

"Everything went to hell, and maybe we're both to blame," the purplenette murmurs. "I wasn't lying though. We tried to get you out. Doesn't matter. You'll believe what you want anyway."

It takes a moment for that to sink in. It takes a moment longer for Eli to realize that she believes her.

 _Damn it, she's right._

She does things her way. Always have. Whenever she pushed it too far, Nozomi had her back. The shrine maiden was always the one keeping her from going too far off the deep end.

But she didn't listen to her that day, and she hasn't since.

And now, she's killed them both.

A guard stalks forward with the largest hose Eli's ever seen.

"Well, I can't get us out of this one," Nozomi says over her shoulder. "I always knew you'd get me iced one day."

A laugh escapes Eli's lips at that. It's been a long time since she laughed.

The hose's valve is loosed, and the end draws near. But Eli knows there's still one last thing she can do. She strains against her restraints and reach into her back pocket. It's still there; the playing card Nozomi threw at her at the beginning.

Eli nudges her. Tied back to back, it's easy to hand the card off the Nozomi without being seen.

"Go on, get outta here."

"...Uh, Elichi, I can't actually teleport."

"What? Then what's with that disappearing trick?"

"It's just a trick Nicocchi taught me to sneak to cover while everyone else is blinded."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"..."

"Elichi, before the end, I just want to tell you that I—"

 _KABOOM!_

Just before icy doom engulfs the two of them, a **_FUCKING METEORITE_** crashes into the warehouse. The impact atomizes all the guards but leaves the girls unscathed. Even more miraculously, shrapnel from the explosion slices open their bonds.

"Wow," says Eli.

"Wow," agrees Nozomi.

For a minute, they are quiet, simply too stunned to do more than watch the flickering flames that dance in the ruins of the warehouse. Then, Nozomi begins to laugh.

The quarter Russian regards her partner oddly. "What's so funny?"

"Looks like I'm carrying enough good luck for the both of us," Nozomi titters.

"You mean to tell me that's all luck? That's ridiculous."

"Come on, what are the odds of that happening?"

Eli grins. Maybe she's right. Nozomi has always had the luck of the devil.

"Just one thing I don't get, how did you know I was gonna show up in that warehouse?"

"You should have picked up on it already; I set the whole thing up?"

"Eh?"

"It was pretty easy to coerce Nico into luring you in here. Once she knew I knew where she lived, she easily complied with all my instructions."

"Was even the restaurant chosen specifically so that we would pass by this warehouse on the way back?"

"Yes."

"Aw Elichi, I didn't know you cared so much about me!"

"That's not even the half of it! I had to get that giant water gun specially crafted, and I spent an entire day emptying out gunpowder from firecrackers to make that explosive charge."

"..." Eli looks over at Nozomi. The green eyed woman is trying to hide her face, but the blonde can distinctively make out a blush creeping up her neck.

"Nozomi, are you embarrassed?"

"..." The purple haired gambler doesn't respond, but buries her face in Eli's side instead. The gunslinger smiles and holds her tight, relishing the feeling. It's just like the old days.

Then the blonde pushes her away and looks Nozomi dead in the eye.

"Just one thing: You ever have mind to leave me again, I'll ice you. No questions."

For a moment, Nozomi glares back at her. Then, after a while, she just smiles.

"You got a deal."

* * *

 **Well that's that. Unless I get into another card game, I'm never touching this story again.**

 **Call me a crane cuz I lifted this shit hard as fuck**


End file.
